“Shouguo Gongfu, it’s Shouguo Gongfu again! Gu Ruanci, you did this on purpose!”
Zhou Zhili finally lost control and violently kicked the door.
“Have you gone mad? Do you want to scare your mother to death?” Lady Pan shouted at him, her expression filled with resentment.
Zhou Zhili regretted his earlier foolishness, yet he felt a fire burning in his chest that he simply couldn’t extinguish.
“However, the Eldest Prince has already sent someone back to the palace to fetch another imperial physician…”
Only then did the servant get the chance to finish speaking.
“You may leave for now…”
Ye Lanxin waved her hand, knowing that Zhou Zhili would vent his anger on anyone who seemed incompetent at this moment.
Zhou Qinzhu stood nearby, utterly distraught, her tears never ceasing.
“I really shouldn’t be alive. If I had died that day, Elder Sister would have been happy, she would have returned to Houfu, and none of these things would have happened afterward. Little Medical Immortal wouldn’t have refused to treat Grandmother either… If anything really happens to Grandmother, how will I ever face anyone again…”
Her heartbroken voice and the endless stream of tears only added to Zhou Zhili’s irritation, though he also felt a pang of sympathy.
Ye Lanxin and the others had long realized the problem: Zhou Qinzhu’s Ji-ji ceremony had been marred by Grandmother’s death. In the future, she would undoubtedly be labeled as unlucky by everyone in Dizhou, making her marriage prospects difficult.
Ye Chengyun, the second son of the Ye Family’s second branch who had made a bet with Gu Yuxuan, chose an inopportune moment to speak: “Cousin, don’t be sad. Grandfather and Grandmother are both here; they will surely help Uncle and Aunt think of a solution. You look so beautiful today, but if you keep crying, you won’t be pretty anymore…”
Lady Pan slapped the back of his head and said, “You foolish boy, say something useful at a time like this…”
Ye Chengyun looked up and was startled by the redness in Zhou Zhili’s eyes.
He shrank his neck, thinking it was fortunate that he hadn’t had the chance to tell everyone about his bet with Gu Yuxuan today.
However, Zhou Yuxiu and his two brothers took Zhou Qinzhu’s words to heart. Indeed, all of this was Gu Ruanci’s fault.
Although another imperial physician eventually arrived and performed all possible measures, he ultimately stood up and shook his head, saying that Laofuren’s body simply couldn’t withstand such strain and that it was best to let nature take its course.
These words shattered Zhou Zhili and his three sons.
“How is this possible? Imperial Physician Zang clearly said that if Grandmother could hold on until Little Medical Immortal arrived, there would surely be hope.” Zhou Yuxiu was dumbfounded.
As the heir, the eldest son, and the first child taken from Ye Hesheng’s side by Laofuren all those years ago, he had lived with Laofuren the longest and shared a deep bond with her.
The imperial physician helplessly cupped his hands, saying that his medical skills were limited and couldn’t even compare to Imperial Physician Zang’s, let alone dare to rival Little Medical Immortal.
The Zhou Family also understood that pressuring the imperial physician at this moment was not wise.
After the imperial physician left, the atmosphere in the Zhou Family dropped to freezing point.
“They should never have returned…” Zhou Yuxiu couldn’t help but say.
“That’s right. All of this is their fault. I’ll go to Xuandi Guan to confront her and demand an explanation.”
Zhou Yuzhi remembered what his Eldest Brother had said: Lady Ye was currently at Xuandi Guan.
Ye Lanxin grabbed him and said guiltily, “If anyone should go, it’s me. Whether it’s kneeling or kowtowing, even if I have to leave Jing’an Houfu immediately, I won’t complain. As long as Elder Sister is willing to step forward and explain that what happened back then wasn’t caused by Mother-in-law, and to ask Little Medical Immortal to save a life, I’m willing to do anything.”
“I’ll go with you. I don’t believe that unfilial daughter would really dare to disown me as her father.”
Ye Keguang steeled his heart, recalling how Ye Hesheng had declared she would sever their father-daughter relationship after the Heli, all because he hadn’t stood up for her.
Lady Pan didn’t voice her opinion, only sighing.
“Now she’s a lay practitioner at Xuandi Guan, and Qingtuan Daozhang is attending Gu Ruanci’s Renqin Yan at Shouguo Gongfu. Even if you go, you won’t be able to see her…”
Zhou Zhili was agitated and spoke weakly.
“Are we just going to watch Mother-in-law suffer and pass away like this?” Ye Lanxin asked.
Zhou Zhili closed his eyes, not daring to look at his mother in the room.
“Let me go instead. The person Aunt truly resented back then should have been me…” Zhou Qinzhu spoke up again.
“This has nothing to do with you. Back then, you were just a five-year-old child. If she couldn’t even tolerate her own younger sister and a five-year-old child, she had no right to cling to the position of matriarch. Besides, you’re a girl—you wouldn’t have affected our status at all. She was just jealous.” Zhou Yuqi, as the youngest son, had been doted on by Laofuren since childhood, so he spoke without restraint.
“Let Yuxiu and his two brothers go. After all, they’re her own sons. I don’t believe she’d really be heartless enough to refuse to see them. Even if they can’t meet her, they should at least make some noise to let people know that if anything happens to Mother-in-law, it will be the fault of that mother and daughter.”
Ye Keguang made the final decision, and no one objected after hearing it.
“If it weren’t for Grandmother, I really wouldn’t want to see her.” Zhou Yuqi muttered before going to prepare.
Shouguo Gongfu was an entirely different scene.
One Big Shot after another had unexpectedly gathered in the mansion, and they hadn’t been invited by the Duke of Shou and his wife.
Although they all emphasized that if it weren’t for the Duke of Shou guarding the border all these years, bringing stability to the nation, they wouldn’t have what they have today, Gu Congyun still felt their arrival wasn’t that simple.
Moreover, Duan Wangfu, with whom they’d never had any interaction, had even sent gifts, which left them puzzled.
Especially since the young princess from Duan Wangfu was usually close to Zhou Qinzhu, yet this time, she showed no regard for the Zhou Family.
As the guest of honor, Gu Ruanci was all smiles, poised and graceful. Her interactions with the Gu Family were natural and harmonious, giving the impression that they were a family by nature.
When someone from the Zhou Family came to invite Imperial Physician Zang for a consultation, everyone thought they were joking.
Later, seeing the panicked look of the servant and briefly inquiring about the situation over there, they realized that Laofuren from Jing’an Houfu had indeed fallen ill.
Imperial Physician Zang had indeed been drinking, but he wasn’t so drunk that he couldn’t walk.
Claiming to be unable to handle alcohol was just an excuse.
Over there, chaos ensued as the event came to an abrupt end, while here, the guests were thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Even the Grand Tutor praised Gu Ruanci’s demeanor unreservedly, and Prime Minister Wu Lihuan gazed at Gu Ruanci with affectionate eyes.
The Wu family were all devoted lovers, believing in one partner for life, which is why they looked down upon Zhou Zhili’s actions back then.
Eldest Prince Lu Enyou returned to the palace early, not wanting to make everyone uncomfortable with his presence.
Before leaving, he deliberately glanced at Gu Ruanci, and to his surprise, she gave off an aura of dignified and celestial grace.
While Shouguogong went to see off the big shots who had come of their own accord, Gu Ruanci seized the opportunity to ask Zang Jizhi, “Why did they come?”
“Upon hearing that Little Martial Uncle had come down the mountain, they all wanted to come and see for themselves. But this wasn’t arranged by me—didn’t you notice my senior brother still sitting here?”
Qingtuan Daozhang looked even more composed and said directly, “Since Little Junior Sister has already come down the mountain to settle her past, she won’t keep her identity hidden forever. It’s best to let things take their natural course.”
Before the guests here had even finished leaving, someone hurriedly came to report that the three brothers of the Zhou family were heading straight for Xuandi Guan.